Deviance in Society

The study of sociology demystifies that what is considered deviant behavior in one society may not qualify to be deviant in another. A number of other factors determine the qualification of this definition of deviance. For instance, deviant behaviors or acts may be classified as truly deviant depending on the condition in which they occur. Additionally, behaviors or acts can be tagged ‘deviant’ depending on the historical era.This implies that, from one historical time to another, some behaviors or acts universally known to be deviant behaviors are likely to change their status definitions to be ‘not deviant’ as what we can learn from Rosenhan (1973) and Eqbar (1998). This paper takes a critical look at the varying definitions of deviance in different circumstances presented by both Eqbar and Rosenhan. Sociological Approach to Deviance (Eqbar (1998) and Rosenhan (1973)Both Eqbar and Rosenhan share the same approach in defining deviance and agree that it is r ather a complicated issue that needs to be understood. Eqbar attempts to explain deviance from the most complex issue of terrorism and carefully unfolds historical stories to at least come up with some imagery explanation. Eqbar explains that terrorism which is a serous matter in the world today which is ever changing begs more attention from world leaders to accurately mark on its causes and the remedial actions (Eqbar, 1998).On the other hand, the issue of proliferation of mental hospitals is an issue of importance to Rosenhan which deserves much attention. Similar to Eqbar, Rosenhan is caught in dilemma in identifying accurately who is sane and who is insane in psychiatric environment and ends up referring himself a ‘pseudopatient’ (Rosenhan, 1973) Eqbar’s Approach to Deviance The sociological interpretations have used history as a tool to understand how deviance can change with time. One of the most relevant is examples is presented by Eqbar (1998).Ahmad Eqba r while delivering a presentation at the University of Colorado in October 12th, 1998, identified how the West perceived Yasir Arafat and how this perception faded with time and almost disappeared. Between 1969 and1990 the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was the centerpiece for all terrorist activities and Arafat was time and again described by the Western media as the â€Å"Chief of Terrorism† particularly by the New York Times William Safire (Eqbar, 1998). Earlier in 1930s and 1940s, the same description was coined to the Jewish underground living in Palestine.However, things changed and the image was turned inside out! Eqbar (1998) noticed a unique marriage between the West and Arafat when he saw a picture of the leaders Arafat, Bill Clinton and the Israeli’s Prime Minster, Benjamin Netan seated together on the September 29th, 1998. Arafat who was frequently known as a man of the guns and an enemy to the Western people was at this moment branded a new image. This example as observed by Eqbar clearly indicates that the labeling of objects or personalities as deviant tends to change with history.Yet another shocking experience Eqbar writes about is the time when President Ronald Reagan, from the West, warmly received a group of men from the East in the White House. In his speech, President Reagan in 1985 referred the bearded men as the Afghan Mujahiddin who acted as the â€Å"moral equivalent of America’s founding fathers† (Eqbar, 1998). A rather controversial reminder is the one time peaceful relationship that existed between the al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden and Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.Bin Laden who after the September 11 attach was expected to be killed was a moral equivalent of the two leaders (Eqbar, 1998) but was demoted and got angrier to revenge in all ways. According to Eqbar (1998), deviance is seen to change with time as he draws an example of terrorism. Bin Laden, who was once the moral equival ent to Jefferson and Washington became a dangerous terrorist after his status demotion. In this perspective, Eqbar tries to explain that terrorism, which is a deviant behavior, tends to change with time such that today’s hero is tomorrow’s terrorist and today’s terrorist is tomorrow’s hero (Eqbar, 1998).Rosenhan’s Approach to Deviance Another sociological approach to deviance can be seen in the works of Rosenhan (1973). Rosenhan takes us to the sociological environment of a psychiatric hospital where he finds himself in a state of dilemma to differentiate sane people from the insane. He blames factors such as depersonalization, powerlessness, mortification, segregation as well as self-labeling in playing critical roles in counter-therapeutics. In psychiatric hospitals, it emerges to be a challenge to make distinctions between the sane and the insane.The meaning of behavior in the hospital environment can easily be construed. Rosenhan (1973) takes u s through some of the conditions that totally change the true meaning of sanity in hospital environment and we can make an extrapolation to one of the sociological understanding that deviance is relative to the prevailing conditions. The conditions in hospital environment such segregation, depersonalization, self-labeling and mortification which are always crafted in larger part construe the meaning of sanity.Dealing with Deviance in the Society Important insights can be obtained from the two approaches and definitions of deviance. The two definitions, Ember’s and Rosenhan’s can be intermarried to help solve crimes such as terrorism, rape, drug abuse, felony and murder which have become a challenge in the society. There seems to be different approaches how people view both issues of terrorism and sanity. Understanding the approaches drawn by Eqbar and Rosenhan will help appreciate these differences and deal with crime in the society.Deviance changes with time as Eqbar draws it from the observation of Osama Bin Laden who was once a friend to the western and later become the worst enemy. Equally, the change of deviance is drawn by Eqbar in the case of Arafat who was once an enemy to the West but later a friend. While Rosenhan does not provide a straightforward definition on how to differentiate sanity from insanity in hospital environments, he admits that the psychiatric hospital provides a unique environment that makes the definition of sanity to surface.Rosenhan (1973) identifies the existence of hospital conditions such as depersonalization, powerlessness, mortification, segregation as well as self-labeling to play a critical role in counter-therapeutics. The issue of proliferation of mental facilities in communities is the aim of Rosenhan’s approach. Using Rosenhan’s approach will ease the pressure in these facilities as the accurate psychiatric labels will be used in admitting individuals in psychiatric community facilities (Rose nhan, 1973).Another issue that might be solved from Rosenhan’s approach is the need to increase the manner how mental health workers should be sensitive to the position of psychiatric patients in Catch 22 and increase research into psychiatry. This is because to other people, one can be tagged insane while to others ‘sane’. This is similar to what Eqbar observed in the issue of terrorism. Together, these approaches can be applied in understanding and reducing deviance in the society. References: Eqbar, A. (1998). Terrorism: theirs and ours. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://therearenosunglasses.wordpress.com/2010/01/31/terrorism-theirs-and-ours/ Rosenhan, D.L (1973). On being sane in insane places. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://psychrights.org/articles/rosenham.htm

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

In the film Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter (1957), Rock Hunter’s fiancà ©, Jenny Wells (Betsy Drake), realizes that attending college to just develop her mind was a serious mistake. Fearing that Rock will leave her for the buxom and vapid Hollywood star, Rita Marlowe (Jayne Mansfield), Jenny initiates an exercise regime designed to develop her modest bust line. Upon visiting her apartment after work, Rock discovers his fiancà © comatose on the ground and frozen in a perpetual push-up. When Rock informs her doctor that the malady was caused by too much exercise – specifically push-ups – the doctor nods knowingly. â€Å"Push-ups are a waste of time,† the physician tells the advertising executive. â€Å"It’s really better for women to just go to a store, if you know what I mean.† When Rock Hunter returns to his own apartment that night and checks in on his teenage daughter, he finds her sleeping in bed, her arms above the covers in a frozen push-up. Prescriptive literature, Hollywood films, and popular culture in general created and perpetuated the postwar feminine ideal of the â€Å"Sweater Girl† – a busty, curvaceous figure more sexual than maternal. Yet, this ideal gave way in little more than a decade. One of my earliest childhood and most lasting memories of my mother is watching her inspect herself in the full-length mirror of our family bathroom. She would stand, twisting and turning, her eyes intensely scrutinizing the curves of her body. Then she would turn to me and simply sigh, â€Å"We were born in the wrong decade.† Those same eyes that had just previously scrutinized her own shape would gaze on me as if to say that I was destined (doomed?) to follow in her footsteps. I would file away her beauty tips and hints and embarrassingly chant, â€Å" I must, I must, I must increase my bust† with my middle-school friends, thanks to the influence of young-adult author, Judy Blume, a woman who experienced her own teen years in the 1950s. My mother, neither unattractive nor â€Å"overweight† was born in 1960. Like many women of her generation, she clung to the urban legend that the Hollywood sex symbol of the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe, wore a size 12 dress. She came of age during an era where youth culture placed a cult-like status on Twiggy, a model with a 31-inch bust and 32-inch hips. How had the ideal female body type changed so quickly and so drastically? How did we go from a society that worshiped full, buxom blondes to child-like waifs in just over a decade? Previous scholars have not recognized how malleable these ideals were and how susceptible the female figure is when seemingly disparate factors like consumerism, fashion trends, foreign policy, medical opinion, and mortality collide. While many women conformed to the Hollywood â€Å"sweater† model and then later looked to Twiggy as the fashionable ideal, most did not exhaust themselves in efforts to remold their bodies to replicate these unique body types. This dissertation explores and analyzed how women of different ages, races, and sexual orientations imagined and actively altered their own bodies in their efforts to mimic or reject this body ideal from 1945 to 1970. At least once scholar has argued that women face more pressure to conform to an ideal standard of beauty than men because women learn early on that their future – economic, social, and reproductive opportunities – hinges on their personal appearance. Moreover, as historian Kathy Peiss notes, â€Å"Beauty signifies difference†¦ making distinctions between high and low, normal and abnormal, virtue and vice. In so doing, beauty helps to define morality, social status, class, gender, race, and ethnicity. † Women’s bodies are constantly under surveillance. Borrowing Foucauldian language, Dina Giovanelli and Stephan Ostertag refer to the media as a â€Å"cosmetic panopticon† which dictates women’s clothing, hairstyle, body size, and shape. By â€Å"violating expectations† such as being fat and female, women are subjected to discrimination. And even though we are mostly cognitive of the images and messages thrown at us in the mass media today, some are harder to resist than others. Read More: – Horace Miner – Body Ritual among the Nacirema by Horace Miner

Explore the importance of the WTO for international business Essay

Explore the importance of the WTO for international business - Essay Example The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a modern international association constructed as an enduring body. It is meant to perform the role of a regulator in the scopes of exchange in goods, exchange in services, external investment, and academic property among others. This essay will present the importance of the WTO for international business. WTO and its importance for international business During the late 1990s, a lot of the disputes over globalization concentrated on the World Trade Organization. The WTO was started in 1995 to ease international trade and solve disputes between countries. Geneva was its headquarters, and it had 135 member countries by 1999, majority was developing countries. According to Simmons (2005: 45) the organization helps the developing nations’ interests by easing trade development, providing a system for settling quarrels, reinforcing the integrity of trade changes, and endorsing clear trade systems that lower operation costs. After it was started , the WTO turned out to be a lightning pole for disagreement over globalization (The WTO after Cancun, 2003: 98). The WTO is a compassionate United Nations of Commerce, with enough implementation powers to support countries work out their dissimilarities (Bates, 2007: 76). However to some the WTO is a terrorizing, trade controlled world management of trade in which the statutory body and the law court operate separate the analysis of anyone who is not a regime leader or business lawyer (Morrison, 2009: 67). From this perspective, the organization's influence to arbitrate trade quarrels also provides it the power to dominate national laws, as well as environmental safeties. In that, it entails the independence of its member countries (Correa, 2000: 44). The Doha was the modern trade negotiations between the WTO members (Laeven, 2000: 78). Its purpose was to attain major improvement of the worldwide trading method through the institution of lower tariffs, free services, and trade faci litation. It is also recognized as semi-officially, and the Doha Development Agenda as a central objective is to advance the trading outlooks of developing states (EUROPA-Rapid-Press, 2006). More on Doha is going to be covered later on in the essay. The World Trade Organization was developed because of negations between parties in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) formed at the end of the Second World War. The GATT was developed in 1947 to govern the post-second world war (Caroline, 2004:77). The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations, and World Bank were also developed in the years of 1944-1945, as the international leaders believed that the international institutions were capable of assisting the economic and social disasters during that time. The institutions would also prevent the global climate from worsening to the point of conflict (Caroline, 2004:77).The organization of the WTO is governed by its supreme authority, and the Legislative Conferenc e, which constitutes of all the WTO members. They meet at least twice a year and can make decisions on all issues concerning the joint trade treaties (Biadgleng, 2008: 45). The task of WTO in worldwide trade as specified in the Agreement incorporates: Aiding the application, administer allowance and procedure and promoting the objectives of the accord creating it and other Mutual Trade Unions and specifying the framework for the application

The Impact of Sports Celebrity Advertising On 18-24 Year Old Males in Dissertation

The Impact of Sports Celebrity Advertising On 18-24 Year Old Males in London - Dissertation Example games; the ruining of the representation of sports celebrities as a result of current public cases relating recognized sports stars for example, Allen Iverson, Mike Tyson, Latrell Sprewell, and the substantial advertising finances that are generally assigned to this venture. I will start by presenting a comprehensive survey on celebrity endorsements and by discovering appropriate theories. I will then focus my assumptions to experimental analysis. Furthermore I will present the effects and examine their inferences for marketing executives and examiners in advertising, as well as try considering possible upcoming research trends. This study observes whether customers understand that celebrity endorsers are fond of the commodities they approve, and presents a form using these and other features of the endorser to foresee thoughts toward the endorsed creation. Way of feelings towards the advertisement the endorser and the good were also considered. The model specified that product attitudes were forecasted by conjectures about the endorser's liking for the creation and by approaches toward the one who endorse. This research was performed at university and Harrow town centre of UK using a variety of searching techniques incorporating focus crowds and an analysis of males whose ages were between 18 to 24 years. It was intended to address a chain of research queries associated to the connection between 18-24 years young men and icon-person advertisement. Introduction Whilst the celebrity is typically a complete stranger, and someone one is never prone to neither meet, nor ever truly familiar with, the virtual imminence created between celebrity and audience often has very real effects on the behaviour in which individuals discuss the experience of their everyday lives.... In this analysis there are three variables, the age of respondents, their interest in football and their liking of sports celebrity advertisements, the research gives us the conclusion that the males of 20 to 22 years are more interested in playing football and as the age becomes more than 22 the interest in football gradually becomes less. The high expenditures related to brand marketing make it essential that presenting memos successfully raise customers' attention towards the product. By means of that thought in mind, studies that observe features of advertisements that create them powerful are in particular important. The current researchers represent an initial step in classifying what makes endorsement advertisements valuable based upon work in provenance theory inside public psychology. The results put forward that endorsement-advertising success can be strongly influenced by customers' implications regarding whether the endorser, in fact, prefers the product. Advertisers, in contrast, sometimes appear to be content with simply producing a celebrity between an admired supporter and their product with the anticipation that the endorser's constructive figure will by some means "rub off" on the item. Individuals who pursue British football very frequently, repeatedly, and at times are more disposed to be influenced by David Beckham's endorsement than those who go after every other year. From this result, one can conclude that celebrity advert is most of the use when 18-24 years old males have the chance to intermingle with the celebrity.

Structure and Function of Cells and their Organelles PBL Assignment

Structure and Function of Cells and their Organelles PBL - Assignment Example You may use a slides and microscope for the same purpose. Instructor needs to verbally discuss differences in the structure and in the genetic material o the two kinds of cells. Gifted: Gifted children will get a good grasp about the major divisions of cells and will be able to classify animals and microbes. They will be able to differentiate between the animal and plant cells. They will be familiar with cell functions and may even venture into cellular metabolism processes. Regular: Students will be able to understand the difference between Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes. They will be able to recognize an animal cell from a plant cells based on structural differences. They will be able to write down a few cellular functions. The student will work in twos or threes and draw the organelle assigned to them. They must also write down the different structural features and functions of each organelle. For this they will be given a mere 10 minutes. Present pictures of the differentiated body cells (blood, neural), and ask each student to write down their identification. The one to get most answers correct with the shortest span of time receives applause. Gifted- Students will develop a thorough knowledge about cell membrane models and differences between each model. They will also be able to write down cellular functions of the body and functions of the organelles. A class game will be played. Divide the learning students into 2 groups. Both groups will create a match the column game which must be solved by the other group. In one column they write the name of the about 8 organelles and in the other column write the functions in a jumbled manner. The groups will exchange the sheet and try to match the organelles with their functions in 1 minute. Gifted: Students will be well versed with organelles and their functions. They will have good knowledge about Cell theory and its applications. Some will be

Economic Trends in an Executive MBA school Essay

Economic Trends in an Executive MBA school - Essay Example The recession would create an impact on employment and many capable firms would have a well of skills to hire from. Some firms might decide to be choosy and a graduate degree might just prove to be relevant so as to keep up with the competition for jobs. This has seen many people go for MBA which stands a better chance than having BBA only. (Kotler, Philip & Kevin, 2012)   One of the other areas affected by the recession are the accounts receivable. The customers of the companies might not fail to make payment the money owed to the company at the right time, or they may never be able to pay. This turns into a violation of the credit agreement. Moreover, delinquent or late payment reduces the valuation of corporation’s debt, bonds and its ability for financial access. This means that firms would be rendered incapable to sustain its operational costs and might just close down. Many people would lose their jobs. In the preparation of such circumstances, higher level of expertis e would deem inevitable to keep the firm running. Proper financial management measures could be employed to sustain the firm in the industry. All these expertise can be acquired by advanced training and education.  The need for increased household income has grown higher with people resorting to venturing into two or even three jobs. This requires an extended level of expertise in the different fields. The loan programs give an opportunity for people to go back for an MBA and upgrade their certificates so that they can be able to fit.... The customers of the companies might not fail to make payment the money owed to the company at the right time, or they may never be able to pay. This turns into a violation of the credit agreement. Moreover, delinquent or late payment reduces the valuation of corporation’s debt, bonds and its ability for financial access. This means that firms would be rendered incapable to sustain its operational costs and might just close down. Many people would lose their jobs. In the preparation of such circumstances, higher level of expertise would deem inevitable to keep the firm running. Proper financial management measures could be employed to sustain the firm in the industry. All these expertise can be acquired by advanced training and education. The need for increased household income has grown higher with people resorting to venturing into two or even three jobs. This requires an extended level of expertise in the different fields. The loan programs give an opportunity for people to go back for an MBA and upgrade their certificates so that they can be able to fit at the competition of the search for white collar jobs. Some universities like the University of New Mexico offers scholarships for MBA students. In Germany, education is free of charge therefore one can have no reason not to take an MBA. The loan program has attracted a lot of people to undertake further studies as its an incentive. The federal government plays a vital role in helping its employees live a stable life. As a result of the economic fluctuations in the private sector, the populace decide to search for white collar jobs to be able to earn a stable income. The government would also engage in the act of increasing

The supply chain management failure of Boeing787 Research Paper

The supply chain management failure of Boeing787 - Research Paper Example The Boeing 787, a revolutionary aircraft, is a product of such operations as the Boeing Company decided to increase their value by creating the Dreamliner to counter some of the cost-reducing airline companies (Crown, 2008). However, the 787 Dreamliner has been marred with problems, and engineers believe that these problems emanate from their outsourcing operations. This paper will examine the failure of the supply chain of the 787 Dreamliner, and find out what was done to avert the complete collapse of the Dreamliner’s rise. Increase in competition among the airline companies present has forced companies to look for alternative means to increase their revenue. The Boeing Company is no exception. Upon realization that it would be harder to maintain its top position in the aviation industry, the company chose between two strategies that would ensure its survival and growth in the market. Between reducing the cost and selling price of their aircraft and developing a new one in order to increase its revenue through value creation in the airline industry, Boeing chose to go with the latter. Through the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the company would be in a position to give their customers a travel experience unlike any other. Its design was meant to ensure that long-haul flights were possible without the layovers that usually characterize such flights (Norris et al., 2005). This would have been perfect for their international customers. Furthermore, operational efficiency would ensure that passengers would be provided with nonstop economical flights in between cities, which would ensure low costs, and an increase in customer demand. As the benefits of the Dreamliner became evident, the unexpected number of orders from the airline industry took the company by surprise. As a global aircraft manufacturer, Boeing did not want to disappoint. In late 2007, however, the company decided to announce delays in the development of the Dreamliner. The news was received

Ethical Theories identified in (bazerman) and the Essay

Ethical Theories identified in (bazerman) and the - Essay Example The Johnson clearly adores teaching, and his work was intended to give learners and educators a wide-ranging overview of issues in ethics and leadership. The metaphor his book adopts, light and dark, claims the point that followership and leadership can be either toxic or beneficial. In the contemporary world, leaders can seriously be unethical. Examples of such unethical practices range from the American legislators who fiddled their own expenses to the ‘Masters of Universe’ whose monetary creativity almost led to the downfall of banking system but still got rewarded with huge bonuses (Johnson, 2015). However, this unethical behaviour is offset by few remarkable leaders who, in his own words, â€Å"brighten lives of people around them†. Johnson further gives an inspiring instance of this ethical leadership by citing the effort of Dr P. Farmer, who founded Partners in Health – an organization with a mission to combat drug-resistant tuberculosis within priso ns walls and around the globe. According to Johnson (2015), we see analogy of villains and heroes when conversing how leaders try to affect change. Johnson asserts that the power which comes with being a leader may also be utilized for evil and good. When we undertake the merits of leadership, we assume ethical burdens at the same time. In making ethical choices, the leader attempts to cast more â€Å"light† not â€Å"shadow.† Even though a graphic and unfriendly comparison, envision of Hitler and Ghandi. If one subscribes to outmoded definitions like influencing persons toward accomplishment of common goals, both Hitler and Ghandi were leaders though their ethics were dissimilar. For many ages, corporate America has always been stained by unethical decision and disreputable behaviour. For instance, one can remember false advertising by Jenny Craig and Nutri-System, fraud and unlawful cash

Revising this paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Revising this paper - Essay Example People rely more on the consequences being in their favor, even when the decision or the incentive that spurs the decision is morally wrong; in essence, it is somewhat like the ends justify the means. However, it will be wrong for us to assume that just because their thought processes and their incentives are different from our own, they are wrong. People are different from one another, with different morals and different points of views, so much so that their happiness also lies in different things; as in they pursue different forms of happiness, what is happiness to one may not be so to the other. Thus the question arises: Can we judge people based on their incentives? In the example I liked the most, Levitt and Dubner analyze schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers. In the case of schoolteachers the incentive to cheat derives from possible pay raises, or at least job security, if their students score well on standardized tests. Levitt uses 700,000 sets of test answers from Chicago public school students. With the aid of his computer, Levitt searches for patterns in the answers to identify teachers who were changing their students answers, thus cheating to obtain their goal. He even includes a few sample answer sheets and invites the reader to detect the cheating. At the same time, the book describes Levitts clever strategy for examining the win-loss records of sumo wrestlers; an examination that points to especially important matches being â€Å"thrown†, with the â€Å"winners† later reciprocating in less important matches, thus ensuring that top wrestlers maintain their status. Levitt says there are three types of incentives: economic, social and moral. We juggle with all types of them, and it is clear that incentives are used widely and related closely to people’s daily life. The story of an Israeli daycare center that decided to fine parents who picked up their children late is pertinent in this regard. This action of theirs resulted in more

Global Business Situation and Opportunity Analysis [Marketing Plan Essay

Global Business Situation and Opportunity Analysis [Marketing Plan Part 1] - Essay Example Scanning the potential business environments and analyzing business opportunities and strengths with threats and weaknesses are critically important components in developing and establishing a market. Kraft Foods is one of the largest food processor in North America and has now emerged to be the second largest food processor of the world as it went global and made its presence in more than 100 countries. As part of its further marketing development, the company proposes to launch one of its most successful brands- namely Philadelphia- in India and therefore the company requires careful assessing and effective analyzing of situational and environmental factors that may impact the company. Marketing plan is an important success pathway to building any market. This paper presents a brief analysis of global business opportunity and business situation of Kraft Foods in relation to its prospect to launch a new brand in prevailing market, India. Introduction Globalizing the market has becom e a strategic effort to defend or promote competition, because globalized markets endogenously intensify competition between firms and force them to be highly competitive, innovative and to use latest technological developments (Blossfeld, Klijzing and Mills, 2012, p. 5). Almost all the fortune 500 companies have globalized their business to seize greater opportunities from foreign markets. This paper analyzes global business situation and opportunities for Kraft Foods Group Inc in relation to its business prospect to launch one of its most reputable brands, namely Philadelphia to one of its existing markets, India. Company structure, Capabilities and Resources . Kraft Foods Group Inc. is 50th largest Fortune 500 companies (CNN Money, 2013) and is renowned to be a global snacks-powerhouse with varying brands that seem unrivaled for the reputation they gained. It operates food and beverages in North America considerable market position in Canada and other countries. It manufactures a s well as markets refreshment beverages, liquid concentrates, coffee products, confectionary and grocery products and convenient meals in more than 100 countries (Reuters.com, 2013). It is a highly successful company in the way it has differentiated the products. It offers its products in a number of different brands such as Cadbury, Jacobs, Nabisco, Philadelphia, Trident, Maxwell House, Kraft etc (Reuters.com, 2013). Kraft Foods Group Inc. is very keen about preparing its recipe for positive change by reducing, reusing and recycling water and other important resources. The company put in efforts to make the difference by using less water for manufacturing and to reduce product packaging so as to produce less wastes (Kraftfoodscompany.com, 2013). Forbes (2013) ranks Kraft Food as the 46th world largest company for most powerful brand and as 63rd largest for most innovative firm. It employs more than 126,000 employees throughout the world. Products, Markets and distribution of Kraft Foods Kraft Foods offers mainly 7 different lines of products, namely baking & desserts, cheese & diary, coffee & beverages, deli meat & hot dogs, sauces & condiments, side dishes

Marketing assignment Essay Example for Free

Marketing assignment Essay 1.1 Ryanair are pioneers of low cost airlines in Europe operating more than 1600 daily flights from 57 bases across 1600 low far routes connecting 180 destinations in 29 countries. They recently announced that they have ordered 175 new Boeing craft. 1.2 In order for Ryanair to keep the costs to a minimum, their airline uses small, regional airports only to reduce operational costs and operates as a point-t-point airline carrier, thus when other airlines avoiding the cost associated with a hub-and-spoke service. 1.3 Ryanair advertises it’s self as a â€Å"The low fare airline† and has a price promise under which it will pay double the difference if a customer finds the same flight cheaper elsewhere. 1.4 They pay as little as possible for their aircraft. They get big discounts on aircraft because they buy them when other airlines want them. 1.5 They spend as little as possible on advertising. They do not employ advertising agencies; instead all of their advertising is done in-house. 1.6 They don’t use travel agencies, so they don’t pay commissions. Ryanair uses direct marketing to recruit and retain customers and to extend products and services to them and this reduce cost. You book online or on the internet. This saves 15% on agency fees. Question 2 Kulula and Mango are South Africa’s low cost airlines. These airlines have in some areas imitated the Ryanair business model. 2.1 Kulula uses Lanseria Airport as an alternative to OR Tambo airport which can be attributed to reduction operational costs. Ryanair makes use of smaller airports instead of the large busy airports to reduce costs and reduce the time between flights. 2.2 The low cost airlines in South Africa, such as Kulula and Mango also upsell products such as car hires, travel packs and hotel accommodation. This is similar to the business model of Ryanair. 2.3 The low cost airlines in South Africa also reduce their costs by not including food on the fare; you can buy your food if you want. 2.4 To make bookings simpler the customers of Kulula and Mango can also book and buy flight tickets at Shoprite/Checkers for there’s is no commission paid to travel agencies. The internet online process also exists for self-service of making bookings. Question 3 The marketing environment consists of Micro and Macro environment. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2012;90) Micro environment consists of the actors close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers such as the company its self, its suppliers, its marketing partners, customers and the general public. The macro environment is said to consist of the larger societal forces that affect the macro environment such as political, economic, social, technological, natural environment, and legal framework (Kotler Armstrong, 2012) 3.1 The Micro environment 3.1.1 Company Ryanair’s mission is to keep their customers happy by offering a simple service and that involves maintaining low-cost fares, such as offering no meal options or extended service elements such as beverage consumption, thus keeping labour-related costs low and inviting the more humble or thrifty consumer to enjoy travel to regional destinations without the worry of excessive airline expense. 3.1.2 Suppliers Suppliers are very important to the company and they are the determining factor for Ryanair to keep customer value. In a running an airline Ryanair require a lot of fuel but they are unable to influence their suppliers since the price of fuel is controlled by external bodies such as OPEC(Ryanair Annual Report, 2004). 3.1.3 Competitors The increasing number of competition with carriers offering lower-cost fares is impacting the consumer mentality regarding which carrier to choose when travelling within European destinations. 3.1.4 Marketing Partners Ryanair does not use advertising agencies instead all their advertising is done in-house by doing so they are cutting cost and making sure that they maintain low cost strategy. They simple use adverts that tell passengers that Ryanair has low fares. 3.2 Macro environment 3.2.1 Political The external political environment is one of significant advantage to Ryanair, as the majority of its operations are contained within Europe. It is relatively common knowledge that this region maintains political stability, thus Ryanair does not experience issues with governmental instability in Europe as a concern regarding passenger volumes or flight destinations. 3.2.2 Technological The technological environment does not appear to significantly impact the firm in a negative capacity as the firm. Additionally, supply chain software programs and other integrated software applications are available to assist Ryanair in streamlining labour functions and improve internal organisational efficiency. 3.2.3 Economical Economical factors in the Euro region such as the Greece debt issues, increased unemployment in Spain and other countries have a negative impact in the number of customers for air travel like Ryanair. Question 4 Low cost airline offer a no-frill service, they sell the cheapest tickets you can buy. Unlike branded airlines that argue that passengers are willing to more for a better level of service. These are the reason I would not use low cost airlines such as Ryanair. 4.1 Customer Service Ryanair offers poor customer service such as when your bag is broken into no compensation is provided. It is also reported that their staff is unfriendly and rude. Ryanair also do not make provisions for fragile items that you wish to carry on the aircraft with you. Musical instruments and sporting equipment can be taken but at a fee. 4.2 Value added services There is no complementary food and what is offered is expensive and unhealthy. 4.3 Misleading pricing The policy of 70% sets sold at lowest fares and 30% at higher fares can be misleading. This means that you may not always be paying the lowest price for the fares. 4.4 Convenience Ryanair does not offer convenience as you cannot chose seat. You also cannot change flights. Their plains are old and offer low comfort. They use secondary airports which tend to be smaller regional airports. Question 5 Ryanair’s objective is to firmly establish itself as Europe’s leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service. Ryanair aims to offer low fares that generate increased passenger traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies 5.2 Understanding customer needs and wants 5.2 Design a customer driven marketing strategy 5.3 Construct an integrated marketing program that delivers superior value 5.4 Build profitable relationships and create customer delight Question 6 6.1 Product or Service Low cost, no frills air travel to Europian destinations. There is no free food or drink on-board. Food and drink are income streams. You buy on-board, or you do take your own food and drink if you like. 6.2 Price Ryanair has low fares. 70% of seats are sold at the lowest two fares. 24% of seats are charged at higher fares. The last 6% are sold at the highest fare. 6.3 Place Ryanair does not use travel agents so it does not pay agency commissions. It uses direct marketing techniques to recruit and retain customers, and to extend products and services to them (i.e. Customer Relationship Management). This reduces costs. You book online over the Internet. This saves them 15% on agency fees. They are based in Stansted in Essex which is known as a secondary airport. It is new and accessible. It is cheaper to fly from Stansted than either Heathrow or Gatwick, and since it is less busy Ryanair can turn aircraft around more quickly. 6.4 Promotion They spend as little as possible on advertising They do not employ an advertising agency. Instead all of the advertising is done in-house. In fact OLeary himself oversees much of the promotion of Ryanair. They use simple adverts that tell passengers that Ryanair has low fares. Ryanair employs controversy to promote its business. For example in 2009, the company reasoned that passengers would be charged  £1 to use the toilets on board. OLeary reasoned that passengers could use the terminals at either the destination or arrival airport. This would speed things up. It was reasoned that this is what passengers wanted since they did not want other passengers leaving their seats and walking the aisles to go to the toilet. OLeary also argued that larger passengers should be charged more since they took up more room again it was reasoned that this is what the majority of passengers wanted. 6.5 People Pilots are recruited when they are young as pilot cadets. They work hard and take early promotions and then move on after 10-years or so to further their careers. Cabin crew pay for their uniforms to be cleaned. They invest in their own training. They are mainly responsible for passenger safety as well as ancillary revenues onboard 6.6 Physical Evidence They pay as little as possible for their aircraft. Planes are the most expensive asset that an airline can make. They get big discounts on aircraft because they buy them when other airlines dont want them, for example after September 11th, or on the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. Aircraft manufacturers cannot simply stop a supply chain in minutes. If orders are being cancelled or delayed, this is when to buy. It was rumored within the industry that Ryanair was buying Boeing 737s list price around  £40,000,000 (forty million pounds) with up to a 50% discount. 6.7 Process There is no check in. You simply show your passport and supply your reference number. You cannot select a preferred seat. It is first come, first served. This aids speed. There are no air bridges (the tunnel that connects to the side of the aircraft when to board it). You walk or are bused to the aircraft. Baggage is deposited directly onto the terminal its quick. However if your bag is broken dont expect high levels of customer service. Question 7 7.1 Cultural factors Ryanair has addressed a global cultural need for leisure travel by making their prices extremely low and the easy availability of tickets operating between two points. One of the factors that influence consumer behavior is social class such as people’s income. Ryanair get most of their business from lower income group. 7.2. Social factors One the factors that influence consumer factors is the social factors such as consumers small groups family and social roles. According to the case study Ryanair make use of buzz marketing by their controversial promotions. This influences people opinions about their services as it gets people to discuss the controversial promotions. 7.3 Personal factors Personal factors are influenced by personal characteristics such as customer’s age and life cycle stage, occupation, economic situation, life style and personality and self-concept. The people that would be influenced into buying Ryanair’s would need to have an easy going personality and not be concerned much about the service of the airline since many of the luxuries are removed from the service. 7.4 Psychological factors A person’s buying choices are further influence by four psychological factors motivation, perception, learning and beliefs and attitudes. Customers that would be influences to use Ryanair are customers that believe that are getting value for money through the low cost pricing. Question 8 Consumer market consists of individuals and households that buy goods and services for their personal consumption. These would normally be consumer goods such as soft drinks, cosmetics, travel and household goods. Ryanair’s consumer market is the individuals in the European region that use air travel as a form of transportation. Question 9 Below is an example of Ansoff’s Matrix which shows growth strategies that organisations can use to expand their operation followed by the explanations for each growth strategy (Riley, 2012). Figure 1 Ansoff’s matrix. Sourced from Riley (2012) 9.1 Market penetration Market penetration is when the company expands in the same market using the same products. For Ryanair, market penetration would involve increasing the number of flights in the same routes. This way they are in the same markets and using the same service. 9.2 Market Development Market development requires the companies to enter new markets while using the same products. For Ryanair, this would require the company to go to new markets such as Africa, Asia or America using the same low cost air travel service. 9.3. Product Development Product development means that in order to expand the company must introduce new products or services in the existing market. For company like Ryanair, product development would mean that they introduce new service such as business class or first class into the existing market. 9.4 Diversification Diversification is when the company seeks to enter into new markets with new products. For Ryanair diversification could mean that the company introduces new services such as leisure sea cruising. This would also mean that the company moves into a new market since leisure sea cruising would require different destinations and customer base. References Riley, J. 2012. Ansoff Matrix. [online]. Available at: http://www.tutor2u.net/business/strategy/ansoff_matrix.htm [Accessed on 02 September 2013]. Kotler, P. and Armstong, G. 2012. Principles of marketing. 14th edition. Essex: Pearson.

Understanding the affordable care act Essay Example for Free

Understanding the affordable care act Essay Understanding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act(PPACA or ACA) can be difficult but it is not as confusing as it may seem. This paper will highlight some of the provisions that have already been implemented and will discuss how it affects me, healthcare workers, and the citizens of Arkansas. There are two provisions I will discuss that went into effect on January 1, 2011. One is known as the Medical-Loss Ratio(MLR) and the other is a policy focused on Bringing down healthcare premiums. The MLR policy will put an end to insurance companies being able to raise rates without explaining their actions, or justifying the reason for their high premiums. The policy aims to bring transparency to the healthcare rate changes by requiring â€Å"that all insurers seeking rate increases of 10% or more in the individual or small group market publicly disclose the proposed increases and the justification for them†. (Insurance Rate Increases, Posted: December 21, 2010, para. 4) These proposed increases will be analyzed further by the affected state before approval to determine if they are in fact reasonable. The ACA provides funding to states in order to strengthen or create rate review processes and consumers will be provided with detailed information on proposed increases from their insurance provider. The other significant policy made effective at the same time is one that will bring down the cost of insurance premiums. Under this provision, insurers must spend 80% (for individual or small group insurers) or 85% (for large group insurers) of premium dollars on health costs and claims, leaving only 20% or 15% respectively for adminis trative costs and profits. If an insurer fails to meet this requirement, there is no penalty, but a rebate must be issued to the policy holder. (Key Features of the ACA, n.d.) This affects me by protecting me from unreasonable rate increases. As I get older, I make more frequent visits to a healthcare provider for both acute and chronic illness. The costs add up quickly and with a limited source of income, anything that I can save helps greatly. A common feeling among insurance holders is that we are paying for something that we never use so the idea of a rebate for overpayment of premiums will be welcomed by all. There is one provision that became effective on September 23, 2010 that was a relief to my family in a time of despair. My mother underwent many procedures and surgeries in the last few years of her life and we were concerned about limits on annual or lifetime coverage placed on her by the insurance company. Under the law, insurance companies are prohibited from imposing lifetime dollar limits on essential benefits, and their use of annual dollar limits on the amount of insurance coverage a patient may receive will be restricted. Her medical bills were significant, but we never had to worry about her coverage expiring. The American Nurses Association has fighting for health care reform for many years. By doing so, the ANA is promoting our core value of patient advocacy. We have been taught that we should represent our patients’ best interests in regards to healthcare at all times. So supporting measures that will allow for more affordable healthcare, is what nurses should do. The ANA has been working to ensure that RNs are â€Å"fully included as leaders and eligible health care providers in new, patient-centered, team-based models of care, and accountable care organizations. ANA continues to urge federal agencies to include advanced practice registered nurses as primary care providers, and for nurse-managed clinics to qualify as essential community providers.† (Still The Law, August 2012, para. 7) Arkansas has put much effort into forming our Health Insurance Benefits Exchange, called the Arkansas Health Connector. It is a program through which our more than 500,000 uninsured Arkansas can shop for affordable health insurance. The plans are required to offer 10 essen tial services. Some of which include prescription drugs, emergency and hospital care, doctor visits, maternity and mental health services, rehabilitation and lab services. â€Å"The Arkansas insurance Department(AID) has been awarded a one year, $1 million planning grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight CCIIO) to assist with studying options for development of the best possible Insurance Exchange for Arkansans.† (Planning for HBE, n.d., para. 2) This Arkansas Health Connector makes it easier for uninsured individuals to shop for comparable and affordable health plans. The requirements placed on these plans are also greatly needed in order to provide complete healthcare and prevent future healthcare related costs. The only cons that I will mention are that not enough people know about the availability of this program and that if people do not already know, they will found out rather abruptly when they are assessed a $95 penalty on their filed income tax return. The ACA  outlines plans to reduce episodic based care and increase population(community) base d care. The idea is to provide a higher value of healthcare instead of volume, while reducing readmissions for nosocomial infections, preventable diseases, or complications from chronic conditions and illnesses. By implementing community based programs to promote healthcare, we can reduce healthcare costs and help patients live healthier lives with reducing the risks of significant and recurring medical problems as well as their associated costs. Regardless of arguments against the ACA, the most important aspect is that it helps Americans to become and remain healthier people. It teaches our next generation to value healthcare, and to take an active role in being healthier adults. The ACA will affect me professionally as well as personally. Another provision of the ACA provides for the increase of payments for rural healthcare providers. The majority of communities who are most in need of higher quality and more affordable healthcare, are located in the rural areas of our country. These communities often have trouble attracting and retaining medical professionals. My wife is also a nursing student, and we live in a rural area, so we plan to take advantage of these incentives to provide a hig her standard of healthcare to those in need. A similar provision worth mentioning calls for the rebuilding of the primary care workforce. In order to strengthen the availability and quality of healthcare, there has been increased funding for scholarships and loan repayments for primary care physicians and nurses working in underserved areas, as well as tax free student loan payments for these health professionals. (Key Features of the ACA, n.d.) Again this affects my wife and I directly through scholarship opportunities and reduced financial burden after we graduate. Also affecting me is the increase in the number of patients seeking healthcare due to more people have health insurance. This will increase the demand for both registered and advanced practice nurses in episodic based care as well as in the community. Our role as an educator will be more important than ever when teaching patients who have never had affordable health care. There are many arguments against this legislation, but as an aspiring nurse, I have yet to fin d one that suggests ACA is not the best option we have for making a healthier future for America. References Affordable care act is still the law. (August 2012). Retrieved from http://www.theamericannurse.org/index.php/2012/08/06/affordable-care-act-is-still-the-law/ Key features of the affordable care act by year. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/timeline/timeline-text.html#2010 Planning for the arkansas health benefits exchange. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://hbe.arkansas.gov/Planning.pdf Shining a light on health insurance rate increases. (Posted: December 21, 2010). Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Fact-Sheets-and-FAQs/ratereview.html

The Body Shop: Corporate Governance

The Body Shop: Corporate Governance Management System Corporate Governance The management system and governance of each and every organisation is accountable for the maintenance of the organisation’s strength and survival in the stiff competition in the business world. The role of the governance imposed by the organisation as a whole should always be open minded for the occurrences of changes in order to adjust and cope with the tremendous development that are happening in the internal and external environment of the organisation. With the constantly changing environment, many people especially those in the working organisation find themselves normally adapting. This is because change can bring many improvement and development in different aspects of competency. In many ways, change can make work easier, pave the way for future innovations or generally improve people’s lives. Similarly, change has been adapted by various work organisations for varied reasons. Important changes in the understanding and management of corporate governance and its impacts on businesses have been developed in the past 10 to 15 years. Various researchers, practitioners and policymakers now acknowledge that corporate governance and its impacts on businesses can be conceptualised from a functional perspective and that appropriate interventions involve the development of alternative measures to cope up. It was also noted that the establishment of a conducive environment for learning and training as an integral component of corporate governance have served effectively in implementing organisational change strategies for transformation. At present, this philosophical shift has extended to various settings, including multinational companies and organisations. Directors here have recognised that some employees do not have the skills and behavioural repertoires necessary to cope with the many expectations and challenges of corporate governance. Hence, these employees m ay have the tendency to remain contented with their mediocre performances as their alternative way of mitigating these expectations. Corporate governance pertains to the set of policies that are established in order to make influence in the manner in which an organisation or company is managed, governed or operated. The execution of corporate governance leads to the efficient and effective implementation of the policies and tasks necessary to satisfy a firms customers, employees, and management. It also focuses on the careful management of the processes involved in the relationships among all the stakeholders involved (Bhattacharya, 2000). More often than not, small companies dont really have the capabilities to implement corporate governance. Instead, these companies engage in activities that various schools of management typically associate with the implementation of corporate governance. These activities include the establishment of rules, policies for decision-making, monitoring and evaluation. However, corporate governance deals with all operations done within companies and organisations. Activities such as the management of responsibilities, the control of operations, logistics and evaluations are often related with corporate governance. A great deal of emphasis lies on the efficiency and effectiveness of processes. Therefore, corporate governance includes the analysis and management of internal processes. The Body Shop will be the model business entity that will be used in this research based on their history in corporate governance. Company Background A known British chain of cosmetic stores called â€Å"Body Shop† which is found almost all over the world shows tremendous success in previous years is also the company The Body Shop International plc. Actually, The Body Shop agreed to a  £652 million takeover offer by a French cosmetics group LOrà ©al on 17 March 2006. The Body Shop was founded by Anita Roddick, distinguished for selling its own line of products not tested on animals, and produced in an ecologically sustainable approach (wikipedia, 2006). The Body Shop aims for sustainable growth as a broad market leader in cosmetics as well as for segment leadership. In both cases, the brands of The Body Shop will play a crucial part. The Body Shop is able to establish its broad leadership usually by merging with other strong cosmetics companies and their products, which are then combined into a new, larger company. Offering training to its employees, improving the company operations, and the introduction of new beauty products and technologies then reinforces the positions of the various products of The Body Shop. This practically results in economies of scale that is able to create a distribution network for both its local and international products. If a market is already in the control of other companies, The Body Shop devotes its attention towards the development of a premium segment with its various beauty products. Discussions Any business organisation fundamentally exists because it has certain responsibilities to fulfil for the people in the community as well as the various entities comprising it. The organisation has its human entity ranging from the staff, to the managers, board of directors, stakeholders, suppliers and so forth. All these groups have their own set of functions that contribute to the determination of the business goals, the delivery mechanisms of goods and services, and the operational patterns within the organisation. Furthermore, business organisations are part of the larger society where the markets and consumers are targeted and derived. The complexity of the internal and external surroundings of the business necessitates crucial deliberations and decisions in order to ensure the effective and continuous affairs of the organisation. The overall management of the internal and external affairs of the organisation is what basically forms corporate governance. Basic Definitions 1) Corporate Governance pertains to the set of policies that are established in order to make influence in the manner in which an organisation or company is managed, governed or operated (Bhattacharya, 2000). 2) Company Performance can be measured in terms of the efficient and effective implementation of the policies and tasks necessary to acquire the essential goods or services at the best possible total cost of ownership, leading to the overall satisfaction of a firms customers, employees, and management (Booms, 1981). Role of Executive Directors Executive directors have the primary role to make specific identifications of all the possible sources of evaluation information which includes company performance. This is because aside from the observations of the immediate supervisors, company performance evaluation information can still come from a variety of other sources, including the employees, subordinates, and work products (Einsestat, 2001). For example, whenever The Body Shop utilises company performance information from individuals other than the immediate supervisor, the management informs the employees of the possible sources at the start of the company performance cycle, where they receive their company performance plans. In addition, these executive directors are the people who develop their company’s performance plans. The plans are signed by the employees and then passed on to the management for approval. They make sure that company performance plans are complete and adequate before signing the forms (Gonzalez, 2003). Executive directors also discuss the company performance plans with the employees in a clear and organised manner. Generally, discussions are conducted within 30 days of the start of the company performance cycle. Role of Non-executive Directors Non-executive directors document their company’s performance and provide feedback to the executive directors from time to time throughout the company performance cycle. Documentation normally occurs in the form of memos, and these are retained in the non-executive directors’ confidential files. Actually, these directors also have the authority to determine substandard or unacceptable company performance (Galpin et al. 2002). They normally address minor or marginal company performance issues through company performance counselling and coaching. The Body Shop’s Corporate Governance It can be said that the company has a very good framework that has been established in order to deal with different corporate matters. In fact, there is usually a properly structured program that is further reinforced by company policies and other procedures for the proper guidance of the directors in their daily duties. Consequently, the company has a clear reference guide to its business operations and corporate governance. The Board of Directors which oversee the businesses and the decision-making routines as well as the financial aspect of things, keeps watch. In addition, this includes the maintenance of the standards with regards to corporate governance in the corporation’s different sectors. The Board is made up of ten directors; two are executive while six are non-executive. Because of this, there is a fair division of responsibilities and other tasks among them. And while the non-executive directors are independent from the others, they are still able to contribute their experience and knowledge during Board discussions. Without a doubt, The Board is in-charge of caring for the company’s operations, assets, and its shareholders. All-in-all, the board aims to work with these factors in the hopes of maximising performance. Because of this, it is The Board that is responsible for the finalisation of budgets and strategic plans. And in order to ensure the firm’s competent operations, The Board conducts a monthly review of the company’s businesses in relation to its financial movements. Furthermore, there is a company law that obliges The Board of Directors to carefully prepare each year, a financial report that would have to be accurate and reliable reflecting the true state of the company. All things considered, The Board of Directors is the one that is responsible for the proper safekeeping of accounting statements and to ensure that these records are precise and truthful. In addition, the board is in-charge of guarding the company’s other assets as well as making the necessary steps in order to prevent complications such as fraud and other types of risks. Aside from the board of directors, the company also has other committees as part of their corporate governance. Just like the board, other committees have a well-established reference guide which also discusses their duties and their scope of authority within the corporation. Composed typically of independent directors who are non-executive, the remuneration committee handles the outline for the company’s remuneration policy which would eventually be reviewed by the board. Moreover, this group is also responsible for the various remuneration packages that are given to executive directors. On the other hand, there is also a nomination committee which is also made up of mostly non-executive directors. The responsibility of this group is to recommend to The Board on which people should be appointed as directors. There is also a group known as the audit committee. Compared to the other two, the members of this committee is purely composed of non-executive directors. This group’s duty is to make proper recommendations with regards to the company’s accounting policies as well as overseeing financial control within the corporation (Sternberg, 1998). For this reason, the committee usually receives and reviews financial reports and other statements delivered to them. Then, they make a comprehensive report before they submit it to The Board. Of course, there is also the group’s evaluation of the risks involved which has always been done to assist with the company’s next business move, and have further control of the corporation’s different operations. Apparently, The Body Shop has a clear code of ethics and all employees must affirm their acceptance of this code. The code of ethics includes a conflict of interest policy to ensure that key corporate decisions are made by individuals who do not have a financial interest in the outcome separate from their interest as company officials. The company also actively monitors compliance with the law and the global financial policies and practices over critical areas. These areas include internal controls, financial accounting and reporting, fiduciary accountability and safeguarding of our corporate assets. A major factor involved in the improvement of The Body Shop involves the establishment and utilisation of company performance measures or indicators that in turn measure their customer’s satisfaction. These measures or indicators are measurable characteristics of products and services that the company typically utilises in order to study and improve company performance. The indicators that will be chosen should be able to represent the essential factors that are crucial to the improvement of operational and financial performance. Through the analysis of accurate information brought about by the tracking processes, the measures or indicators themselves can possibly be analysed and improved to support such goals. Effects of Governance to The Body Shop’s Business Ethics and Purpose The Board has been able to attain complete control of all matters regarding the company. Their self-perseverance and obligation to their duties and finally, their obedience to the company laws all contribute to the development of the corporation. As such, The Board constantly believes that all the data pertaining to financial information and other facts regarding to their operations that are currently being used is reliable. The Board’s authority is clearly recognised within the company. And because of this, it is able to have a solid grip on the corporation’s actual operations, stakeholders and its financial concerns. Needless to say, because of the corporation’s proper structure and its commitment to the stakeholders and to the community as well, the board of directors has proven that it can efficiently handle both its ethical and legal responsibilities. Furthermore, the company is currently maintaining good relations and open communications with its investors. As a matter of fact, shareholders are regularly invited by the corporation whenever there are gatherings to discuss trade updates. Moreover, whenever there is an annual general meeting, investors get the chance to meet The Board members themselves. And of course, for private investors, they can also access the company’s website for various shareholder services. Undoubtedly, the company has good consideration for all of its stakeholders; past, present and future. There definitely seems to be a very well planned framework in the firm’s corporate division. It has good policies and procedures with regards to financial matters and operational concerns. Its procedure of assessing the different kinds of situations that come up is certainly a good move on their part. Not to mention, they have maintained good relations with their stakeholders. And finally, The Boardâ€⠄¢s authority is unsurpassed. Clearly, these facts prove the strength of the company’s corporate governance structure. The weakness on this case however, is the fact that it cannot always be assured that there are no losses or other errors which may result from mistakes and inconsistencies by one of the committees or employees involved. In addition, having diverse populations, there can be a possibility of having internal problems between members who have different culture and beliefs. In addition, some problems occur in terms of giving value to the companies’ shareholders. There are times that the shareholder is not given the enough information about the status of the company, specifically that shareholder which have a small part in the business. This happens when the board of directors does not give value to their shareholders. Other negative aspects include the imperfection of financial reporting procedures which may definitely result in ineffective corporate governance. Why it is of interest to diverse stakeholder groups? The occurrence of corporate governance systems within diverse stakeholder groups reflects the growing difficulty in the management of organisations that require the effective use of valuable resources such as money, materials, equipments, and people. And there is no exception to these. This is the reason why corporate governance systems are being implemented within diverse stakeholder groups in order for them to determine the most effective ways to coordinate these resources through the application of analytical methods derived from fields of studies (Jobber, 1998). Through this process, group management problems are solved in different ways and alternative solutions are then relayed to the group’s management. The management then selects the appropriate course of action in line with their goals. More often than not, corporate governance systems are concerned with complicated issues such as top-level strategy, resource allocation, designing of production facilities and systems, pricing and the analysis of large databases. For example, the company governance strategies of Heineken are focused mainly on driving the growth of its brands and improving the company’s financial performance. These company governance strategies have also helped them secure significant acquisitions and partnerships. And more importantly, these campaigns have led to the release of the potentials of the company’s employees, thus building a quality performance- based culture. On the other hand, Alliance Boots, Europe’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty group came into being with the merger of Alliance UniChem and Boots Group.  The merger recognises and strengthens the existing strategies of both entities by combining complementary businesses and strengths to create an international force in pharmacy-led  health and beauty while maintaining the Company’s commitment to the independent pharmacists through enhanced wholesale distribution and retail services. The company’s ultimate aim is to deliver products that make people look and feel their best. In order to do so, the company values performance and continuously strives to fulfil promises to shareholders through setting high standards of practice that are recognised by all internal and external stakeholders. It intends to lead the pharmacy and beauty industries with its products while demonstrating expertise in conceptualising, marketing, selling and distributing its brands (c ited in the Alliance Boots website 2006). From these examples, we may say that corporate governance should set a proper example of good intent, and provide for those lower in corporate hierarchies the clear message that it is â€Å"do as I do† as well as â€Å"do as I say† (Francis, 2000). Middle and lower management find it hard to be ethical when it seems that the top of the corporate hierarchy have no commitment. The message of sincerity will always filter down, and no amount of deception will foster the view that a board is ethical when it plainly is not. Additionally, the commitment to ethical corporate governance by a board will enhance the prospects of an ethical infrastructure within the organisation. That ethical infrastructure is a manifestation of the commitment, a means of preventing and resolving ethical problems, and an impressive demonstration of sincerity. Conclusion As a person with knowledge of corporate governance systems, the author has always brought up to his superiors the viability of strategy formation regarding the analysis of this topic and at times fails to understand the reasons or logic behind certain strategic implementations imposed on it. By delving into this project paper, the author intended to have better insights into how corporate governance systems are thought up, formulated and then imparted down into the subsidiaries of the company or organisation. The author hoped to have an in-depth understanding as to how the corporate governance systems of companies and organisations are able to compete effectively and profitably in this era of internationalisation where competition is extremely intense. In order to reinforce the learning objectives, two key focal issues were focused upon i.e. innovation and diversity. Innovation was discussed with regard to corporate governance systems of companies and organisations where they were renowned for their developmental capabilities to constantly innovate. Diversity came under strategic thinking and formation as the author considered the diverse culture, political climate, economic surroundings, social environment, technological settings, government policies and legal systems in order to better understand the issues being discussed. The results of the analysis carried out on the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop indicated very significant effects, even amidst the threats of unrest. Therefore, we could conclude that the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop could still be expected to improve faster than average. The review of the capabilities and resources of the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop revealed very little inconsistencies regarding its strategies. This is coherent with their traditional inside-out approach. However, the need to reconcile both the inside-out and outside-in approaches becomes imperative now for The Body Shop. The analysis among the cosmetics industry environment as well as the corporate governance systems of The Body Shop and their capabilities revealed certain gaps, most of which are biased towards the industry environment. However, these gaps paved the way towards determining a number of recommended strategic options to secure the competitiveness of The Body Shop. Also, The Body Shop has to find a balance between adherence to internal forces within the management and to the changing forces of the environment in order to implement such strategic options. References: Allianceboots 2006, Alliance Boots Website and location of Annual Report 2005, Available at: http://www.allianceboots.com, Accessed: November 2006. Bhattacharya, C. B. 2000, Relationship Marketing in Mass Markets, Handbook of Relationship Marketing, Thousand Oaks: Sage. Booms, B. H. 1981, Marketing Strategies and Organisation Structures for Service Firms, in Marketing of Services, J. H. Donnelly and W. R. George, Eds. Chicago: American Marketing Association. Eisenstat, R. A. 2001, Organisational Dynamics, pp. 6-14. Francis, R. 2000, Ethics and Corporate Governance: An Australian Handbook. Sydney, N.S.W.: University of New South Wales Press. Galpin, T, and Murray, P. 2002 HR Magazine, issue # 5, pp. 16-20. Gonzalez, M. 2003, Journal of Business Strategy, issue # 5, pp. 9-11. Grà ¶nroos, C. 1994, From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Marketing, Management Decision, 32 (2), Jobber, D. 1998, Principles and Practice of Marketing (2nd ed.). London: McGraw-Hill Publishing. Sternberg, E. 1998, Corporate governance: accountability in the marketplace. London: The Institute of Economic Affairs. The Body Shop 2006, Available at: http://www.thebodyshopinternational.com/. Retrieved: December 7, 2006. Wikipedia 2006, The Body Shop, Available at:www.wikipedia.com, Accessed: November 2006. APPENDIX The Body Shop’s Corporate Government The Board of Directors and management of The Body Shop believe that sound principles of corporate governance are critical to obtaining and retaining the trust and respect of stockholders, employees, other stakeholders and the public. The board serves at the discretion of stockholders and works to represent their interests by enhancing business strategies and practices for the creation of long term stockholder value. Governance Summary The board consists of three standing committees: Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee; A majority of board members are independent of the company and its management; The Audit Committee of the board has established policies consistent with the newly enacted corporate reform laws for auditor independence; The independent members of the board meet regularly without the presence of management; The charters of our board committees clearly establish their respective roles and responsibilities; The company has a clear code of ethics and all employees must affirm their acceptance of this code. The code of ethics includes a conflict of interest policy to ensure that key corporate decisions are made by individuals who do not have a financial interest in the outcome separate from their interest as company officials; The company actively monitors compliance with the law and the global financial policies and practices over critical areas. These areas include internal controls, financial accounting and reporting, fiduciary accountability and safeguarding of our corporate assets.

Essay --

Animal cruelty, also called animal abuse, is the human infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense or survival. To me, animal cruelty is wrong and is a serious issue all around the world and must be stopped. Animal testing is a form of animal cruelty that if gone wrong is considered as animal cruelty. Animal testing can be considered good if the scientists don’t painfully harm the animals. The only animals that should be used for testing are mice, rats, and hamsters, not cats or dogs or other house pets. How can someone have the audacity to harm any animal? Animal testing is used for trialing new medicines, cosmetics, and injections to know they are safe for humans, but what scientists do to the animals in labs is gruesome. There are pros and cons of this debate, but mainly cons because who wants to put acid in a cute bunny’s eyes for no reason. Some pros are that, animal testing has contributes to many life-saving cures and treatments such as experimenters removed the pancreas from dogs which led to the discovery of insulin which sa... Essay -- Animal cruelty, also called animal abuse, is the human infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense or survival. To me, animal cruelty is wrong and is a serious issue all around the world and must be stopped. Animal testing is a form of animal cruelty that if gone wrong is considered as animal cruelty. Animal testing can be considered good if the scientists don’t painfully harm the animals. The only animals that should be used for testing are mice, rats, and hamsters, not cats or dogs or other house pets. How can someone have the audacity to harm any animal? Animal testing is used for trialing new medicines, cosmetics, and injections to know they are safe for humans, but what scientists do to the animals in labs is gruesome. There are pros and cons of this debate, but mainly cons because who wants to put acid in a cute bunny’s eyes for no reason. Some pros are that, animal testing has contributes to many life-saving cures and treatments such as experimenters removed the pancreas from dogs which led to the discovery of insulin which sa...

Educational Philosophy Essays -- Education Teaching Careers Essays

Educational Philosophy â€Å"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.† The decision to be a teacher was, for me, a natural progression from another career. Although I recall as a child frequently playing school, adulthood led me to a career in nursing. Within this context, a large amount of time is spent instructing patients as to adequate care of their bodies and minds. Helping people understand vital information and aiding them in incorporation of this knowledge into their lifestyle is one of the most fulfilling aspects of a nursing career. As my first child entered public school, I found myself spending significant amounts of time in the classroom, assisting as needed with the students. Building relationships with them quickly led to assisting them one-on -one, and with that came the realization that I could take the best of one career and be successful at applying that knowledge at something very different - the classroom. I believe that every child, regardless of background, has a right to a quality education. Students should be respected and allowed to explore their interests, giving them the chance to find joy in learning, rather than it becoming a task. I believe that learning should be fun, allowing students to discover what they are passionate about. As I teacher, I hope to instill a love of learning, an excitement that comes not with being able to recite facts but the ability to understand and build on what they can successfully comprehend. I believe the ability to question and to develop higher thinking skills to be crucial to young minds. Like Socrates, I urge students to ask themselves the question â€Å"What do you know?† and to learn to think critically instead of accepti... ...allowing me to bring a vast array of experiences to the classroom. My focus is secondary schooling, ages at which students are able to begin to develop study skills and critical thinking skills that will benefit them throughout their life. Knowledge in these subject areas is important in understanding rights and responsibilities as citizens as well as understanding the world that they live in. It is my goal to make learning an enjoyable task, one that inspires them through self-discovery to develop into knowledgeable young adults. To make wise choices in life, it is first important to understand what you believe as an individual and how those choices affect those around you. I hope to encourage my students to reflect upon these things, to learn, and to apply that knowledge to their lives, building continuously on the foundation that has been laid in their minds.

Should we all become vegetarians? Essays -- essays research papers

Should all people become vegetarians ? As we can now observe, vegetarianism has become something fashionable, and the number of people who reject eating meat is constantly increasing. In Britain, for instance, over 5 million people have done it so far. It is obviously connected with the recent animal diseases, but this tendency is likely to spread on the other regions of the world. However, it is not only a fashion or fear of illnesses. I myself became a vegetarian about 2 years ago, and I can see a number of reasons why people should stop eating meat. They are mainly of ethic, economic and health type. Those who think in an ecological way should also be aware of how this meat consumption ruins our environment. I don’t have an intention to force anybody to become a vegetarian, but I hope that my argumentation would be strong enough to make some people think about it, at least. In this essay I will try to present this point of view, expressing my personal feelings and showing scientific facts about the problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Let me begin with the words by George Bernard Shaw: ‘Animals are my friends and I don’t eat my friends’. This indicates the ethic aspect of meat consumption. In fact, people often don’t realize how animals are treated, but they can see commercial spots in their TV showing smiling pigs, cows or chickens, happy and ready to be eaten. My impression is that there can’t be anything more cruel and senseless. It is no secret that animals suffer ...

Deaf Culture

Deaf Culture in America CAPSTONE PROJECT By Heather Velez Liberal Arts Capstone LIB-495-OL010 Dr. David Weischadle April 19,2013 Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to answer the major question, what is Deaf culture? There are three sub-questions that will assist in answering the major question: (1) What constitutes Deaf culture? (2) How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? (3) What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? With these questions answer, it will give a better understanding as to what Deaf culture is and that it is indeed a culture.The methodology of my research is based off of internet, books, and a survey. My methodology of this paper is clear and simple. It was hard to find a lot of credible sources that should be used in this paper. A survey of one question to the general public in order to prove a point and purpose of this paper. Gallaudet University website has amazing sources to use and also helped guide in choosing the right books/websites to do the research. In this paper there will be a lot of different terms that will confuse the readers.I will take the time now to go over a few of the terms that will be used in this paper. * ASL (American Sign Language) * Deafhood (Deaf Culture, Deaf pride) * ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) * Bi-Bi (Bilingual-Bicultural) * CODA (Child of Deaf Adult(s)) * NAD (National Association of the Deaf) I With my research I have found a lot of interesting discoveries. Not only were the books and internet research but with the survey I conducted of one simple question, what is Deaf culture? After asking this question to 50 people I have received some interesting answers that were very surprising.This research has taught me a lot of interesting concepts and issues that are being faced today in the Deaf communities. II Table of Contents Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 Literature Review †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦ 3 Methodology †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 Results †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 Summary †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16 Discussion of Results . †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 20Work Citied †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 21 III 1 Introduction In this paper I will be discussing Deaf culture in America. The word culture is always interesting and has always been debated on.When people think of Deaf culture they only think of the language that is shared among the Deaf communities. Just like other cultures, Deaf culture is more than just a language shared among others. Deaf culture has been debated on in such that it isn’t a culture and it’s still being debated on today (Padden and Humphries). This paper is intended to educate others about Deaf culture and how it is most defiantly a culture. Most people have not heard of Deaf culture and let alone have met someone Deaf. I hope that this paper will educate those who are unaware of Deaf culture and become more accepting.Deafness is known to be abnormal in the business world. Business professionals tend to miss read the Deaf communities because of thei r lack of speech and hearing loss. A lot of Deaf people in general are looked at as someone with a learning disability or might of psychological problems. In a professional setting things are done differently between the â€Å"Hearing Culture† and the Deaf culture. In Deaf culture it is alright to turn off and on the lights to get everyone’s attention in a room; this is not okay for a hearing professional (signmedia).There is a huge gap in knowledge among the general public on Deaf culture (Padden and Humphries). The way Deaf people act in their daily lives may confuse others. Because the general public might think the way Deaf people act is taboo; they think Deaf people have learning, psychological disabilities because it is not normal for 2 them. A lot of people don’t understand how Deaf people have a culture and might make assumptions that Deaf culture doesn’t exist (Wilcox 2-5). My job is to answer that major question; what is Deaf culture?There are a lso questions that arise such as, what constitutes Deaf culture? There are two other questions that are very important into explaining the importance of Deaf culture, which is, how has ASL (American Sign Language) impacted the Deaf community and what are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? This topic is very important to me because I was raised in the Deaf culture. My entire family is Deaf and have faced many of these questions that hearing people are unaware about. I feel that it is my job to educate when I have the chance to do so.By being able to educate at least one person, I have done my job. I do not think there is enough information out there to reach everyone’s awareness of Deaf culture. While investigating this topic I will be trying to ask at least 30-50 people; Deaf and hearing, about what they think Deaf culture is. I am very curious as to how many understand Deaf culture and how many Deaf people actually know what Deaf culture is. Dea f culture has been suppressed for many years that even the Deaf people might not know what really makes up Deaf culture.I also what to get the Deaf people’s take on what they think are the major issues that are being dealt with today and also how they think ASL has impacted their communities (History). I know that everyone will have a different take on these two questions and it is always interesting to see the different answers. I know that these questions and the answer that I get back will make the paper a whole lot more worth reading and understanding from a Deaf person’s perspective. 3 Deaf culture is very important to the Deaf communities.Deaf people have for many years fought to have their culture recognized, but still to this day Deaf culture is still being questioned as a culture. I hope that this paper will show those who read this that there is more to Deafness than what meets the eyes. I hope that I am able to help others understand Deaf culture and have a new respect for the Deaf communities around us (Padden and Humphries). Literature Review Rev. Jesse L. Jackson once said, â€Å"The problem is not the students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen. In 1988, the rally that went on at Gallaudet University, Deaf President Now, set off major awareness of the Deaf communities in the United States. This was the beginning of what would change how people perceived the Deaf communities to be. Although, this was 25 years ago, the Deaf communities are still trying to get the awareness out (Deaf President Now). The Deaf communities are still trying to educate the United States that they are not to be perceived as people with disabilities and are unable to do much, but perfectly able bodies that can do just about anything but hear.With that being said, the 1988 rally at Gallaudet University paved the way for other Deaf communities in the United States to raise awareness and try to educate others which remains a dif ficult task to this day. With no language and no culture, there is only isolation which Deaf people will no longer allow (Deaf President Now). Deaf culture has been questioned from time to time. It wasn’t until the rally at Gallaudet University 25 years ago that a light was shone on deafness as a whole. 4 Although Deaf culture was formally recognized in 1965, people still didn’t know much about it (J, Michelle).The definition of culture explained by Dictionary. com: 1. The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, ect. 2. That which is excellent in arts, manners, etc. 3. A particular form or stage of civilization, as that of certain nation or period: Greek culture. 4. Development or improvement of the mind by education or training. 5. The Behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture. (dictionary. com) The debate still is whether or not Deaf citizens have a culture.Given the definition above of what constitutes a culture, Deaf culture consists of all of these. The Deaf culture in America, like many other cultures, have a shared language; American Sign Language (ASL) (Padden and Humphries). ASL is used for Deaf people to communicate with one another and also to communicate with hearing people who know of the language. ASL is a visual/gestural language; there is no vocal component to the language. ASL is not a universal language, but other countries do have their own signed languages such as Italian Sign Language, and British Sign Language (J,Michelle).The use of ASL shares an identification and unity with other Deaf members in communities. Dr. Barbara Kannapel has observed Deaf communities to understand their values, rules, and traditions. She has concluded the following: Deaf communities are supporters of the 5 primary sense of vision for communication at school, in their homes, and in their communities (About American). They value the Deaf children that enter the world as the future of their Deaf culture, it is important to them to have Deaf children to pass on their language.Continuation of Deaf culture goes through the traditions of their films, folklore, poetry, literature, organizations, and school reunions. These traditions are very important to the Deaf communities and those who have children must pass on their traditions, otherwise they will be judged within their communities (About American). Deaf culture has been looked at as arbitrary because most of their language, ASL, cannot be translated into English. Even though Deaf culture has been somewhat acknowledged, the Deaf people are still fighting to be recognized and respected (J, Michelle).ASL is a complete and refined language. ASL contains its own grammar, culture, and syntax. The standardized Sign Language can date back in the early seventeen hundreds which supports the ASL’s origins. A SL isn’t a written form of language and cannot be written into English. When translating ASL it is completely different from the English language (J, Michelle). Abbe de l'Epee was from Paris and developed the Old French Sign Language in his Deaf school in 1754 (History). This was the first time that Deaf individuals had a school they could attend and allowed to learn. This was the frame work in the making for ASL.Meanwhile, in America, Martha’s Vineyard the birth rate of Deaf people where astonishingly high. The Deaf people that lived in Martha’s Vineyard had a genetic code that caused deafness at birth. While there were so many Deaf people living in the area the Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) was created and used in so many households that had Deaf members. Another great man 6 named, Thomas Hopkin Gallaudet is accredited for the promotion of signing methods in America. He later partnered up with Dr. Mason Cogswell to research methods for Deaf chi ldren in Europe (History).Once Thomas had reached American the first Deaf school was opened in 1817, â€Å"American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. † It was at this very school that ASL was born and where all different Sign Languages could influence the making of ASL. Today this school is now known as, American School for the Deaf. The children that attended this school later graduated and moved on to opening their own Deaf schools in the United States, influencing the language to thousands of Deaf children and adults. American Sign Language wasn’t always accepted and had some difficult time being accepted within society.Near the end of the 1800’s the use of oralism was imposed on the Deaf. He didn’t believe that ASL was a language that should be used. He believed the Deaf were being lazy and could learn to speak. With this movement it had hindered the growth of ASL in many Deaf communities across America. Deaf individuals couldn’t use their hands to communicate anymore and had to try their best at speaking for what they wanted. This completely crushed the education and language they were destined to have. They no longer could understand anyone let alone themselves, no language meant isolation (History).Carol Padden and Tom Humphries are co-authors of the book Inside Deaf Culture. In chapter 6, they show the similarities with the past silent films to the modern day silent Deaf theater. There is no difference within the two but for some reason with the modern society that we live in, its taboo for silent Deaf theater. People do not 7 understand Deaf people in general enough to understand and appreciate the Deaf theater. Deaf theater is part of Deaf culture, when learning the language you have to be able to show gestures which are used in silent films and Deaf theater (Padden and Humphries 123-143).Deaf people have been pushed in so many different directions with so many people making changes on what they should be doing. The bot tom line is; no language and no culture there is only isolation which the Deaf people will no longer allow. With all of these milestones in the history of the Deaf culture, there is only more to come. Abbe de l'Epee was a great man that gave a â€Å"voice† to those Deaf people who were silenced by their communities (About American). With the help of Thomas Gallaudet, Gallaudet University would have never set off the major awareness about deafness to America.Gallaudet University was the place that paved the way for many Deaf Americans to stand up and educate those around them of their language and culture (Deaf President Now). Methodology This research paper is on the topic of Deaf culture in America. The major question that I will be researching is what is Deaf culture? This paper will also be exploring these sub-questions in order to conclude the research paper; what constitutes Deaf culture, how has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community, and what are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today?This topic is very detailed and so many unexplored areas. There will be a few different ways in researching this project. There will be a survey asking the general public and Deaf communities a simple question of, what is 8 Deaf culture. This question will allow me to be able to show the major differences between the two different communities. This research will also be using the Gallaudet University website to do most of my research. With the help of Gallaudet University website, other sources were found. Gallaudet has done so much research on topics today that Deaf communities are facing and also on Deaf culture.Gallaudet is the best source to receive and find information on this topic and very reliable. I will be answering the following sub-questions: 1. What Constitutes Deaf Culture? Using the dictionary. com for definition of culture shows what is involved within a culture. This definition will better show the true meaning o f culture and show that Deaf culture is indeed a culture. Knowing the definition will help others understand Deaf culture. There will be a one question survey asking a mixture of Deaf and hearing people this question to get an idea as to how many know about Deaf culture or the definition of culture. . How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? Looking through the history from signgenius. com, will give a better understand how American Sign Language has impacted the Deaf communities. Gallaudet University has also published an article called â€Å"About American Deaf Culture† which gives you an insight on the impact it has caused. 3. What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? 9 Gallaudet University archives will be assisting in answering this question and also the National Association for the Deaf.This question will have a long list of items, but this paper will be touching upon the most important topic of today. Once all of these sub-questions are answered, the goal is to get the general public to understand the Deaf community better and understand the meaning of Deaf culture. This research in hope will make others more interested in researching more on their own and answer more of their questions. I have already started to ask questions to the general public and to Deaf communities as I go along. I am collecting my answers and putting them into similar answered piles to make up some kind of percentage I could use in my paper.I am also researching the Gallaudet University archives for facts on each topic. I will be using the facts I find from Gallaudet University and from the questions that were answered by the people to confirm my findings in my paper. Results This paper is intended to answer the major question, what is Deaf culture? This question is also followed by three sub-questions to help answer my major question. (1) What constitutes Deaf culture? (2) How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? (3) What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today?These sub-questions will also in the end answer many other questions that might arise when reading this paper. The plan is to educate others who are unaware of this topic. Culture has been defined in a way that many believe deafness couldn’t possibly be 10 in its own category of culture (J, Michelle). This paper will be explaining that Deaf culture is indeed a true culture and should be respected just as much as other cultures. What Constitutes Deaf Culture? In order to answer this first question, what constitutes Deaf culture, we need to first look at the definition of culture.The definition is explained by Dictionary. com: 1. The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, ect. 2. That which is excellent in arts, manners, etc. 3. A particular form or stage of civilization, as that of certain n ation or period: Greek culture. 4. Development or improvement of the mind by education or training. 5. The Behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.Just like any culture in the world, Deaf culture consists of social beliefs, values, behaviors, literary traditions, and art which are explained above in the definition (About American). A Deaf house hold will have the same way of communication and how they are able to live within a hearing world. Flashing lights will be the first thing noticed within a Deaf house hold. They flash their lights to get attention of another family member or their alarms, doorbell, and telephone are connected to some kind of flashing device. American Sign Language (ASL) is also shared within the Deaf culture.This language is very important to the way they communicate. This language is very visual 11 and abstract, it’s important to have every detail laid out in the language i n order for a Deaf person to understand what is being said (Padden and Humphries 123-126). ASL shares no similarity to English grammatically; it doesn’t share any aspect of English in any way broken, gestural or even mimed. English uses the subject-object-verb while ASL uses topic-comment syntax. Sign language has been developed specific to their communities and isn’t universal (Nakamura).There are also small communities set up all over for Deaf people to come together and share information or just to have great conversations. These communities are very important to the Deaf culture because there are not a lot of Deaf people living in one area, in order to meet and learn information from each other they have little communities set up and have monthly gatherings. These communities are much like the ones you will find in small villages and tribes but in large industrial societies (Wilcox 2-5). How has American Sign Language Impacted the Deaf Community?To start out with a nswering this question I would like to give a little background on ASL just so there is a more understanding as to what ASL is and how it impacted the Deaf communities in America. ASL is a complete and refined language. ASL contains its own grammar, culture, and syntax. The standardized Sign Language can date back in the early seventeen hundreds which supports the ASL’s origins. ASL isn’t a written form of language and cannot be written into English. When translating ASL it is completely different from the English language (J, Michelle).Abbe de l'Epee was from Paris and developed the Old French Sign Language in his Deaf school in 1754. This was the first 12 time that Deaf individuals had a school they could attend and allowed to learn. This was the frame work in the making for ASL. Meanwhile, in America, Martha’s Vineyard the birth rate of Deaf people where astonishingly high. The Deaf people that lived in Martha’s Vineyard had a genetic code that caused deafness at birth. While there were so many Deaf people living in the area the Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (MVSL) was created and used in so many households that had Deaf members (History).Another great man named, Thomas Hopkin Gallaudet is accredited for the promotion of signing methods in America. He later partnered up with Dr. Mason Cogswell to research methods for Deaf children in Europe. Once Thomas had reached American the first Deaf school was opened in 1817, â€Å"American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. † It was at this very school that ASL was born and where all different Sign Languages could influence the making of ASL. Today this school is now known as, American School for the Deaf.The children that attended this school later graduated and moved on to opening their own Deaf schools in the United States, influencing the language to thousands of Deaf children and adults. American Sign Language wasn’t always accepted and had some difficult time being accepted within society. Near the end of the 1800’s the use of oralism was imposed on the Deaf. Linguist believes that ASL wasn’t a language that should be used. They believed the Deaf were being lazy and could learn to speak. With this movement it had hindered the growth of ASL in many Deaf communities across America.Deaf individuals couldn’t use their hands to communicate anymore and had to try their best at speaking for what they wanted (History). This completely crushed the education and language they were destined to have. They no longer could understand anyone let alone 13 themselves, no language meant isolation. With this isolation came frustration. They were looked at as disabled and unable to function. No one thought anything of a Deaf person, they pushed them in the back of the classrooms and allowed them to sit there all day until school was finished (History). What are the Major Issues within the Deaf Community Today?There is one major issue that is hitting home for just about all Deaf communities in America. Deaf schools are closing throughout the entire United States. There were 63 Deaf schools in the United States; that is no longer the case (U. S. State). Currently there are about 12 different Deaf schools in the United States that are in jeopardy of closing, 9 of these schools are in New York alone. The cause of these schools closing is the proposal of saving money for each state. These schools are government funded even though they are private schools. The government officials are trying to cut down budget by closing these schools.They are also proposing that these students from the Deaf school attend the mainstream schools that are in their area. They think it’s as simple as that but it really isn’t. It is hard for a Deaf student to get an interpreter that is willing to stay throughout the entire school year with them (NAD). The advantages of a Deaf school are the following: 1. Exposure to Deaf culture. Chi ldren who are sent to Deaf schools are exposed to the culture and language. It is important that they are exposed to understand who they are and to provide self-esteem. 2. The environmental learning that surrounds the children is essential to their 4 language. Communication is very vital to any person in the world, being able to speak the same language in school provide a better learning experience. 3. Deaf schools prevent children from falling into education and social gaps. They are able to learn important life skills just like every other child. 4. Deaf schools that are closed translate into job losses for those that are Deaf teachers. These Deaf teachers are less likely to be hired into a public school (Stop Closing). Another issue has also risen in the year of 2003. This may not be an issue for the general public but it has become an issue for the Deaf communities.Before explaining this I do want to take the time to share the true passion the Deaf have for their culture. It is true that many Deaf people wouldn’t do anything to change their life, such as being able to hear. They love and accept who they are and embrace their Deafness and their culture (J, Michelle). With that being said, scientists have been able to identify 30,000 genes that make up the human being, this also including genes that cause Deafness. In the mix of all of the new findings colleges and universities all over were starting to offer American Sign Language courses.American Sign Language courses are among the fifteen most popular taught languages across the United States. With this genetic information doctors and scientists are approaching their goal in being able to identify and correct the gene for Deafness. With this possibility it will most likely eliminate Deafness and American Sign Language. This is a big blow to most Deaf communities across the United States because their culture is very precious to them (Padden and Humphries 163- 15 166). They are not looking to be â⠂¬Å"corrected† they are looking to be understood by others.This is causing a lot of doctors to do more examinations of them instead of understanding them at all. Deaf people do not want to be looked at as some kind of science experiment. Each year there are thousands of Deaf children that are getting implanted with a cochlea implant; this helps the eardrum to react to sound. With these implants they hinder the learning process of language because these children are not taught ASL, they are forced to talk instead. These implants are also a big problem when it comes to needed an MRI or even a lifesaving defibrillator.An MRI or defibrillator could cause the implant to explode and kill the person instantly (163-166). From the above questions stated, there is much to research and so many more questions that may arise. With the research presented in this chapter, the conclusion is somewhat vague but is the building block of what to come in the next chapters of this paper. Again to r einstate the meaning of the word culture once again; culture consists of social beliefs, values, behaviors, literary traditions, and art (J, Michelle). Deaf culture also has the same categories that are stated above.Survey A survey was conducted by myself of 50 different people. This was only a one question survey, what is Deaf culture? The survey was with 25 people from the general public and 25 people from the Deaf communities. It’s important to have asked the same question to the Deaf communities because not every Deaf person were exposed to the Deaf culture or even use American Sign Language (J, Michelle). The results of this survey are: 16 20 people answered with, â€Å"Deaf culture? Is there such a thing? † 5 people answered with, â€Å"Deaf culture? I never heard of it. † people answered with, â€Å"A group of people, meeting together once a month. † 10 people answered with, â€Å" Deaf culture is when history and traditions are shared and passed down to the next generations. † 10 people answered with, â€Å" Traditions, history, stories, and beliefs are passed down and shared with Deaf families. Having Deaf children passes down these traditions that are shared. † Some of these answers have the full idea of what Deaf culture is and others are unaware of Deaf culture. This goes to show that there are a lot of people out there that do not know what Deaf culture is or even that it exist.I hope that this paper will create curiosity and learn more about it. Summary There is a huge gap in knowledge among the general public on Deaf culture (Padden and Humphries). The way Deaf people act in their daily lives may confuse others. Because the general public might think the way Deaf people act is taboo; they think Deaf people have learning, psychological disabilities because it is not normal for them. The purpose of this paper is to educate others that are unaware of the Deaf culture here in America (J, Michelle). Education is power and once people understand more, they are more accepting.The major question is; what is Deaf culture? In order to make this a 17 successful paper and to be able to answer this question there are the following sub- questions. (1) What constitutes Deaf culture? (2) How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? (3) What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? These sub-questions help understand and answer the major question. Research wasn’t only based on internet, books, and journals; I also took it upon myself to question 50 people. The question that was asked is what is Deaf culture?When asking this question I have found some interesting answers and it also supports the purpose of researching this paper. The methodology of this paper is clear and simple. Finding a lot of credible sources satisfies my research paper and also having a one question survey to the general public and Deaf communities in order to support the purpos e of this paper. The Gallaudet University website has amazing sources to use and also helped guide in choosing the right books/websites to do this research. Gallaudet also gets a lot of their research and studies from these two authors, Carol Padden and Tom Humphries.These two authors are very knowledgeable in Deaf culture and how the communities are run; they have taken the time to study the Deaf communities in order to write their books. What really motivated me to do this research is a quote from Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, â€Å"The problem is not the students do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen. † (Deaf President Now) This quote is sums up the realization that the general public in America are unaware of Deafness and the culture that Deaf people share. In 1988, the ally that went on at Gallaudet University, Deaf President Now, set off major awareness of the Deaf communities in the United States. This was the beginning of what would 18 change how people perceived the Deaf communities to be. Although, this was 25 years ago, the Deaf communities are still trying to get the awareness out. The Deaf communities are still trying to educate the United States that they are not to be perceived as people with disabilities and are unable to do much, but perfectly able bodies that can do just about anything but hear (Deaf President Now).With all my research I want to be able to share a brief summary as to how I was able to answer these sub-questions I created in order to answer the major question. My research was pretty extensive and it took some time to break it down enough to give a direct answer to each sub-question. What Constitutes Deaf Culture? Dictionary. com has provided the definition of culture in order to answer the important question, what is Deaf culture? Giving the definition of culture is a great base to start off of. Being able to understand the definition will give a better understanding of how Deaf culture fits in the same criteria of any culture.Deaf culture has been debatable by many as to whether it was considered a culture or not. Just by putting the definition of culture and explaining all the components that make up a culture and how Deaf culture has the same components, already answers the major question but it’s still only half the answer. I have also asked a single question to 50 people on what they thought Deaf culture was. This also supported the fact that the general public is not knowledgeable in this topic. 19 How has American Sign Language Impacted the Deaf Community?Carol Padden and Tom Humphries have extensive knowledge about Deaf communities and how the impact of American Sign Language has made on Deaf communities. In order to answer this question, it required a brief history review. In order to understand how hard it was for the Deaf to communicate without sign language I believe gives another perspective on how important American Sign Language is to the Deaf communitie s. Also This helps answers the first sub-question by adding that American Sign Language is part of their culture because it’s a language that is shared throughout the communities and will be passed down to the generations to come.What are the Major Issues within the Deaf Community Today? The NAD (National Association for the Deaf) has been reporting on the major issues in the Deaf communities. As of the present day there are not enough Deaf schools around. This is a major problem because language skills, social skills, and the exposure the children get to their culture are very important (NAD). These schools are being shut down due to the fact there is very little knowledge as to how important these schools are to the Deaf communities. This topic is very important to mention because it also answers my first and second sub-questions.This issue shows how important it is to preserve American Sign Language along with their culture. Children in this generation are having a hard ti me with being able to be exposed to the Deaf culture because these schools are unable to be open to provide this exposure. In order for schools to stay open the government has to be educated in Deaf culture and their language. Without the knowledge they will continue to make these devastating decisions (Stop Closing). 20 Discussion of Results With this research I have found that the knowledge about Deaf culture in general is very minimal within the United States.We are aware of Deafness but we are not aware of the culture and the language that represents these people. In the books by Carol Padden and Tom Humphries, they basically summed up how misunderstood the Deaf communities are. Deaf communities are look at as being disabled and in need of help when that is far from the facts. With this paper and the resources I have provided in it will hopefully prompt others to look more into this topic and educate themselves about Deaf culture. With the three sub-questions that I have choose, (1) What constitutes Deaf culture? 2) How has American Sign Language impacted the Deaf community? (3) What are the major issues that are being addressed in Deaf culture today? I believe I have answered them all in detail and they all strongly support and answer my major question; what is Deaf culture? In conclusion to this paper, I believe it is safe to say that with more knowledge in this topic the Deaf communities will be able to preserve their culture and be understood more as individual Americans. Deafness is not a weakness it is just a miss component to the five senses. Deafness shouldn’t be considered a disability but as an opportunity. 1 Work Cited â€Å"About American Deaf Culture. † Gallaudet University . N. p.. Web. 2 Mar 2013. ;http://www. gallaudet. edu/clerc_center /information_and_resources/info_to_go /educate_children_(3_to_21) /resources_for_mainstream_programs /effective_inclusion/including_deaf_culture /about_american_deaf_culture. html;. â€Å"Amer ican Sign Language:History. † SignGenius. N. p.. Web. 3 Mar 2013. ;http://www. signgenius. com /american-sign-language/american- sign-language-history. shtml;. â€Å"Deaf President Now. † Gallaudet University . N. p.. Web. 2 Mar 2013. ;http://www. gallaudet. du /Gallaudet_University/About_Gallaudet /DPN_Home/Impact. html;. J, Michelle. â€Å"Deaf Culture Uncovered. † Articlesbase (2008): n. pag. Web. 2 Mar 2013. ;http://www. articlesbase. com/languages-articles /deaf-culture-uncovered-612047. html;. â€Å"NAD Action Alert: Preserve State Schools for the Deaf. † National Association of the Deaf. N. p. , 16 FEB 2011. Web. 3 Apr 2013. ;http://www. nad. org/news/2011/2/nad-action- 22 alert-preserve-state-schools-deaf;. Nakamura, Karen. â€Å"About American Sign Language. † Deaf Resource Library. N. p. , 13 Jul 1995. Web. 3 Apr 2013. lt;http://www. deaflibrary. org/asl. html Padden, Carol, and Tom Humphries. Inside Deaf Culture. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2005. Print. â€Å"Stop Closing Schools for the Deaf. † Deaf Think Tank. N. p. , 27 Sep 2012. Web. 3 Apr 2013. ;http://deafthinktank. org/stop-closing-schools -for-the-deaf/;. â€Å"U. S. State Residential Schools for the Deaf. † Deaf Education. N. p. , n. d. Web. 3 Apr 2013. ;http://www. deafed. net /PageText. asp? hdnPageId=105;. Wilcox, Sherman. American Deaf Culture: An Anthology. Burtonsville, Maryland: Linstok Press, 1989. 2-5. Print.